JUSTICE

"Juliet, you are a liar and a cheat." I'm standing in front of the whole fifth grade class wishing I could disappear, as my teacher, Miss Shreiber, shouts, shaking her plump finger in my face. The whole class sits stone-faced, watching to see if I'm going to cry. I'm breathing loud, fast snorts and holding in the tears. I feel ashamed, though the part about being a cheat isn't true.
"But, Miss Shreiber, I did dot the "i".
"Don't give me those innocent eyes, Juliet.” Her finger points to my spelling paper. "You dotted that "i" after Sara took off credit for no dot on the "i" in "deceit”. You sneaked in a dot. Back to your seat and don't sneak in any more dots.”
I am ashamed even though I didn't do anything wrong. For the first time my record for perfect spelling is broken and I won’t win the fifth grade weekly spelling prize. I already have a swallow pin, a magpie pin and a mourning dove. Daddy is so proud of me. He boasts to everyone that soon they'll run out of birds.
Sara's jealous. She never wins anything which is why she took a point off me. Everyone in the clas says she’s stuck up with her one stupid long braid snaking down her back.
"Look, Sara,” I tell her," there's the dot. See it? "
"You sneaked it in after you took your paper back, Juliet," Sara whirls her head around so fast, her fat braid smacks me in the face.
I'm nervous heading to the front of the classroom to tell Miss Shreiber. Old fat face Shreiber probably won't believe me. "A liar and a cheat!" she yells, right in front of the whole class. I'm no cheat.
I start crying and run to the coat closet with my spelling paper in my hand. I grab my scarf, mittens, hat and coat. I speed out of the classroom, down the steps and out the heavy school door. I run down Bedford Avenue carrying all my outer clothes in my arms. It’s freezing. A good thing I only live half a block away.
"Miss Shreiber called me a liar and a cheat," I sob to Mother.
"So, you left school?" Mother asks. "You just walked out?"
The telephone rings. It's Mr. Beisham, the principal. Mother talks to him putting on her sweetest voice, then grabs her winter coat. "Come Juliet, put on your coat" Ten minutes later we're in his office with Miss Shreiber.
"I never called her that," says Miss Shreiber.
Boy. I think, What a liar.
"Wait one minute," says Mr. Beisham. He points to my spelling paper. "Juliet didn't dot the "j" in justice."
A minute later they are all smiling and agreeing. I get a point back for "deceit" and lose it for "justice".
I'm not smiling.
I head back to class with Miss Shreiber, the liar, wondering about "justice".

MY REFLECTION

I think that justice is a very important value. We should all be just and impartial, treating everyone fairly, regardless of languuage, race or religion.

-DONE BY DAI LING ONLY